A Meeting in the Snow
by Historyman101
Summary: Miku has been separated from the Vocaloids, and Kaito is grieving. He will give everything to be with her one more time and say something he had been meaning to for a long time... Please R
1. Part One

A/N: Hi all who read this! For everyone's future reference, I am Renton and Eureka Forever, but you can all call me Jordan since that is my real name. lol. I am an avid fanfiction writer, and I have written a bunch of stories for Eureka Seven, and am currently writing a large novel-size story for the recent movie, but I have hit a roadblock and decided to take a break from it for a while. During my hiatus I became hooked on Vocaloid and the various characters of Vocaloid. I especially love Kaito and Miku because they are compatible and fitting. They sing so well as a duet. Kaito is a real gentleman and Miku is an absolute sweetheart with a beautiful voice. I am new to Vocaloid and I don't own the program (no munnies T_T) but I love the manga "Hatsune Mix" and I really hope for an anime. (I have heard a rumor that it might get one next year but there has been no confirmation yet.) Anyway, since I am new to Vocaloid and haven't been acquainted with the characters properly, they might turn out as OOC. Forgive me if that happens. T_T

This fanfiction is inspired by Kaito and Miku's cover of the song _You_ and the movie _Five Centimeters per Second_.

Enjoy.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Vocaloid, the Vocaloid characters, or any song made by any Vocaloid character. I am just writer who loves the characters and wanted to write a story about them.

**A Meeting in the Snow**

**By Jordan Harms**

**Part One**

The tall blue-haired 20-year-old man sat quietly in his dimly lit room. There wasn't much in his room compared to the other Vocaloids. He just had a desk with a sound computer, a chair, where he currently sat. Behind him and against the wall, there was a bed, with ice cream print sheets. It was a bit embarrassing for anyone else to see but it suited him and his biggest obsession. Well…actually, second biggest compared to something else.

He had been meaning to say something to the biggest obsession in his life, but the opportunity never presented itself often since the last time he say her was shortly before she boarded a train to be transferred to the Crypton Future Media sub-prefectural headquarters in Obihiro, more than 200 kilometers away. She had been away now for almost eight months, and the Vocaloid home didn't feel the same without her around.

The man sighed and turned away from the computer, swiveling on his chair and looked at the nightstand next to his bed. There sat a small lamp, with an ice-cream themed lampshade. He couldn't help but chuckle a little at seeing it. It seemed rather childish to anyone else but he loved it all the same. Just like someone else he loved. Next to the lamp there was a small CD player/radio/alarm clock, with CDs spread around it like picnic blankets. All the CDs had different songs, but they all shared something in common. They were songs that he and another Vocaloid sung together. He then looked to the framed photograph that sat next to the alarm clock, which had the entire Vocaloid family, smiling brightly without a care in the entire world. In front of the blue-haired man there stood a turquoise-haired woman with matching eyes, wearing a cloudy grey sleeveless collared shirt and light blue necktie, detached ebony black sleeves on her thin arms, and black thigh boots with blue trim. At the sight of her, a small word escaped from his lips, so soft and quiet like the coo of a turtledove but noticeable enough to hear like the cry of a cricket.

"Miku…"

Even after she had gone to Obihiro those eight months ago, he could still see her face. The kind face. The face of an angel that had come down from Paradise. He suddenly felt the need to find her and tell her so many things that he only wished he had said to her eight months before. He knew she must be falling ill from the loneliness of not being with them all…especially him. He clearly remembered the day they took her in as a newly made Vocaloid, like an addition to a family. She was shy, lacked some confidence in her abilities, and was nervous about meeting new people, like most of them were when they started out. She was different from the others however. She was…

He turned away, unable to look at the photograph anymore for fear of making his heart ache more. It was better to get back to his practicing, what practice he could do at so late at night. he looked at his clock and saw that it was almost midnight. If he did practice he would wake everyone up for sure. Perhaps if he sang softly enough…

At that thought, Miku entered his head again. He sighed heavily not knowing whether to will the thought away or embrace it and hold it tightly. Maybe he needed some sleep. It was late, and he would have to get up early to record a new song tomorrow. He wasn't particularly looking forward to the recording when usually he would jump at the opportunity. Perhaps it was because Miku wasn't beside him anymore. Ever since she left there was a severe drop in spirit for singing, not just in the case of himself but with all the Vocaloids. The family seemed very empty without her. He felt just as empty…no…more than empty. He felt hollow, decaying, like a piece of his heart had been cut out and left to rot in the hot sun. His hand uneasily pushed on the mouse button and started up a soft piano piece. He listened for a little while and found the tune familiar. Soft, soothing, and calming. Sweet and inviting. Caring like a mother.

Clair De Lune by Debussy.

It was his favorite classical piece…and Miku's. It never failed to relax them before a recording session, melt away the nervousness and self-doubt within them. They even recorded a duet cover of Clair De Lune, never failing to sound heavenly and otherworldly. Ever since she left, the song took on a different function, a different method to the madness. It served to remind him ever more of her. Her soft turquoise eyes…long turquoise hair, her melodic and saintly voice. The man cupped his face in his hands, breathing another heavy and longing sigh. He wanted those days back. They were stolen from him, all the days he could have been with her stolen from him by the call of forces beyond his control and beyond his means of comprehension. He wanted her. To see her. To speak with her. To feel her. Even if it was only one last time if he could see her again it would give him some semblance of sanity and help him relieve his despair and depression. He could still see her face every time he closed his eyes. Seeing her face only served to deepen his pain and his sense of emptiness. Maybe a good night's sleep was in order. It was past midnight anyway and he needed all the rest he could get for the recording session tomorrow. He closed out of the music program on his computer and shut it down while he climbed into bed and turned on the CD player in his computer player. He soon came to regret that action as the song that softly emerged and beat against his eardrums was a song he and Miku recorded together. A cover song of a popular anime theme. The song was called…"You." And that was just what he thought of as he listened to the gentle and yet tormenting lyrics that he and Miku sung with perfect harmony and melody, only agonizing him more with her absence.

(A/N: These are the English lyrics translated by ninjawolves on youtube, where I first heard the song.)

_Where are you right now?_

_What are you doing at this moment?_

_Are you looking up into this wide, blue sky?_

_I lost touch with you,_

_And my heart feels so empty._

_Today I noticed this pain_

_For the first time._

_The fact you had been_

_Supporting me this much each day_

_Equals the importance of the smiles_

_You've given me along the way._

_The price of_

_Having lost you is far too great_

_And I desper-ate-ly reach out_

_And struggle to grasp it._

_It just slips out_

_Of my grasp, just like the wind._

_There's no-thing left to reach_

_My arms out towards._

_My chest is…_

_Aching from…_

…_the loneliness I suffer now._

_And my heart_

_Seems to break_

_Whenever I think of you._

_But it is your smi-le_

_That remains in my memories._

_It is your smile that motivates_

_Me to live._

_Let's travel through time,_

_And return to that point _

_in which we used to live._

_I'm sure that we'll_

_Make it through all right this time._

_I'll always be_

_Laughing by your side._

_Assuring you_

_Along the way through life's obstacles._

_When I'm alongside you_

_I can see the light ahead._

_I know that…_

…_everything…_

…_will be fine in the end._

_Where are you right now?_

_What are you doing at this moment?_

_Are you looking up into this wide, blue sky?_

_Will you keep on smiling elegantly,_

_just as you always have?_

_Happiness is the only thing_

_I can wish for you._

With the each word, each syllable, his thoughts drifted more and more towards Miku, and his mind slowly slipped out of consciousness and into a deep sleep. The song that served to torture him more and more with her absence did not fail in covering him in the veil of slumber, to incite him to dream of the woman he missed more than anything, and to only hope that maybe, just maybe, a chance to see her again would come soon.

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A/N: That's all for the first chapter. I'll be uploading the second chapter tomorrow since I have 2/3 of this story already written out. Please read and review and tell me what you think! : D


	2. Part Two

**Part Two**

The red light with the words that read **RECORDING** went dim as he finished the last chord of the song. When the light went out he drew in a deep breath and exhaled loudly, quietly rejoicing the end of the song. He didn't enjoy singing as much as he used to. He had felt that way ever since she left. He would throw everything away if he could just have one more second...

His thoughts were interrupted by the voices of the recorders.

"…and we're clear. Great job, Kaito. Really terrific as always."

"Thank you…" he said quietly.

Kaito breathed a heavy sigh as he left the recording room without another word. His feet seemed to walk with a heavy trudge as if struggling through thick snow as he walked down the hallway to the refectory area in the studio. He could not get his thoughts off Miku as he searched and sought out for a place to quiet his thoughts and perhaps find someone who could give him some meaningful advice. Preferably _not_ the Kagamine twins or a Meiko. They always just teased him and making his life a general misery, especially when it involved the twins and a road roller or Meiko and a bottle of sake. _God help him_ if he came across either.

He opened the door to the refectory and saw that it was sushi day. There were samples of different kinds of sushi floating on little boats that circled around in a small artificial wooden canal. He looked further down and saw the ice cream section, with row upon row of different flavors that tempted his taste buds to indulge in his obsession and absolute favorite of food. He could feel the cold chilling air from the freezers where the tubs were stored and displayed, almost asking to him to be taken and eaten. The taste of the different flavors of the creamy goodness slicked his mouth and enticed his taste buds, seducing him to go over there. Normally at this point he would run like the dickens over to the ice cream section and order some wild crazy and strange dessert dish that normally anyone could not eat whole and chomp it all down without leaving a trace left. However for a reason he could not discern, he didn't want it. Something else was missing in him, something that not even his beloved ice cream could solve or wish away. His stomach churned in obvious hunger, and he turned to the sushi section, and stood in front of the small boats, taking what he looked appealing from the passing boats on their never-ending journey down the canal carrying their delicious cargo. He stood in line and as each boat passed he picked out what he thought looked good, the way the hand of God led the chosen ones from the earth to the promised heavenly kingdom. What he had picked out was nothing too fancy: six California rolls and three nigiri of shrimp, tuna and salmon. The same thing every beginner in sushi ate. Supplement that with a bowl of steaming hot white rice and a perfect meal made. For a moment he wondered if there was such a thing as leek sushi. If there was, Miku would eat it without any problem. He laughed quietly, remembering that strange but cute obsession with leeks that girl had. He then began to entertain the thought of there being such a thing as leek-flavored ice cream. He would eat it, no question. Name any flavor of ice cream and he would eat it. Miku would probably love it. If he ever found leek-flavored ice cream he would definitely buy it. If only to remind him of her. He paid the cashier and sat down alone at the closest table he found and starting eating his rice, quietly wondering to himself what he could do to end this silent madness putting him to misery.

"Kaito without ice cream? I never thought I'd see the day," said a familiar voice from somewhere behind him.

He turned and saw his closest friend, fellow Vocaloid, and his mentor of sorts, Kamui Gakupo. Kamui was wise, but he was treated with a twinge of annoyance by those around him for his slight trace of egocentrism, especially when it came to Luka Megurine, who always rejected his advances. He wore his violet hair in a ponytail and wore white samurai clothes and always carried a katana at his side. He carried with him a slight arrogance and inflated ego, especially when it came to his relationships with women. Luka proved that. But despite his conceited side he carried too with him a sensibility and sense of honor that harkened back to the glory days of samurais, valuing honor and dignity above all else. In many a time when Kaito needed a word of wisdom, or a helping hand to get him out of a deep and unforgiving problem, or a guiding step in the right direction, he knew he could count on Kamui.

Kamui could easily tell that his friend was troubled by something. It was not like him to eat something other than ice cream…_ever_, for one. Kaito without his ice cream was just about as likely as the twins without their road roller or Meiko without her sake or Miku without her leek. It was just beyond impossible to imagine. Kaito looked very confused and weary, not to mention depressed and hopelessly lost, his blue eyes glassy and empty in soul and body and his hair ruffled and unkempt with renegade strands hanging in his face. His eyes seemed to search endlessly for something that was always beyond his grasp, stuck deep in a quagmire with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. They looked to Kamui as if he was a godsend from Heaven.

"Kamui…" he said, with a feigned salutation of delight at seeing him.

He tried his best to put on a smile but any smile he put on right now would poorly conceal this façade he was putting on. He couldn't hide his inner torment that slowly and agonizingly ate away at him.

"A Kaito without ice cream is always a sad Kaito," Kamui chuckled as he sat down next to his friend. "I cannot help but sense that is all is not well in your life. Am I right?"

"You see straight through me, as always," Kaito relented, quickly breaking down the wall he had put up to those around him.

"What's bothering you, then, my friend?"

Kaito almost hesitated to tell him. Now of course he trusted his words with a whole heart as they always served to lift up his spirits, but he sensed that this new situation was one that Kamui could not help him with. He suddenly felt a small residue of mistrust seep in him, a small voice in his soul telling him to not tell Kamui anything, tell him to go away.

"I don't want to force it out of you like I did last time," Kamui chuckled, sneaking a sly grin.

"That would be unpleasant," Kaito said knowingly.

"So tell me what's up."

Kaito sighed, knowing full well that any further attempt to put up a barrier and hide from him what served to slowly take control of his thoughts and his actions...and soon his whole life. If he wanted to get on with his life, he had to get past this. This was the only way he knew he could move forward.

"I have been feeling very…empty lately." Kamui raised an eyebrow in a mixture of slight confusion and interest.

"Empty? Explain to me."

"I feel like something is missing in me. I haven't felt myself for a long while. I just feel like a part of me has been taken away, and no matter how hard I try, I can't get it back."

Kamui smiled, knowing in an instant just what was bothering his friend as he placed a kindly helping hand on his shoulder. He had the same troubles in his life, and he knew exactly what could fix it.

"It sounds like the thing that you lost…went to Obihiro eight months ago."

Kaito looked up and saw a trusting glow in his eyes, saying to him "I know exactly what you must do."

"It's Miku, isn't it, Kaito?" Kaito breathed a heavy sigh and nodded; it was pointless to try and further hide it. Kamui laughed. "I thought so. I can always tell when it concerns a woman."

"This place hasn't been the same without her since she went to Obihiro. It just…doesn't have the same feeling of family it once had. And…and…"

"And what?"

"I don't feel right without her. I've felt lost. I really want to see her again, even if it is for one moment, it wouldn't matter to me. I want to tell her so many things I never got the chance to. I don't want...I want...I just want to see her face again!"

Kaito rested his head on the table and released a deep heavy sigh with the sound of stormy winds on a tempest sea. Kamui instantly saw what Kaito was suffering from, seeing the symptoms clearly as a doctor saw the symptoms of a common cold. He often had the same problems with Luka, even if Luka didn't really care for him much and viewed him the same way one would view a fly buzzing around one. For some reason however his words of wisdom when it came to matters of the heart helped everyone else. He chuckled and adjusted his ponytail.

"Sounds to me like someone is lovesick." Kaito nodded, he himself knowing full well just what the nature of his dilemma was.

"The worst part of it is I don't know what I can do. I want to see her and talk to her, but I know I can't. I'd give anything to have just a few minutes with her."

"If you really want to see her, then the best thing you can do is go to her."

Kaito looked up from the table at his friend, seeing in him the caring trusting friend he always saw in him for as long as his memory could recall. His eyes spoke the simple and faithful words of not just a friend but a wise counselor, a mentor, someone that could always be taken at his word and trusted completely. Even if Kamui never had much luck with the ladies, especially when that lady was a pink haired woman named Luka, even if he was a womanizer and unable to control his inner urges, if there was one thing that was admirable about him that made the other Vocaloids respect him, it was his words of wisdom. Kaito opened his mouth and spoke.

"I want to do that. I really do. There is nothing more I want to do right now than to go to her."

"So, what's stopping you?"

"There is just one problem with that."

"What is it?"

"When is a good time I can see her? God only knows when the next recording session is—"

Kamui raised a hand, and Kaito stopped. When he saw Kamui, he easily could tell what he would say next. He was focusing too much on his duties here, in the studio, as a singer. He had to pay attention to the duties to his heart, his soul.

"I say you should go when you feel you should."

"But what if I have a recording to do?"

"I'm sure I or the others can cover for you just fine," Kamui said with a wink. "The flu scare going on right now should be enough to get you off the hook for a day or more. Plus, it shouldn't matter what is going on here. If you need to see her, don't look back. Just go to her and everything else will follow." Kaito nodded, chuckling quietly. (A/N: I used the flu scare going on right now, since I know some people in my college taking advantage of it to be late to class to because of "vaccinations." Thankfully I'm not one of them...yet. lol.)

"Then is there anything else I should keep in mind?"

"Remember one thing: when dealing with the female, always remember the one thing you need is confidence."

"Confidence is the one thing I am going to need a lot of," Kaito said knowingly, sighing. It would take a lot out of him just to work up the courage to tell her he was going to see her, let alone tell her the thing he had been meaning to say for such a long time.

"You have it, Kaito," Kamui reassured him confidently. "Everyone does. You just need search deep inside yourself to find it."

Kaito nodded, the smile Kamui knew in him slowly making a reappearance, his sadness and depression being sent into exile as his smile grew wider. He did have confidence. He had confidence enough to believe that he would be able to see Miku again...soon. There was nothing he should be afraid of. What could go wrong? What could go right? Why be afraid of anything, when you know you will see the person you care for most? Kaito chuckled quietly, thanking his stars that he had a wise friend like Kamui.

"Thanks, Kamui. I'll remember this." Kamui laughed, knowing it was like Kaito to overly thank him, sometimes more profusely than was necessary.

"There's no need for that, Kaito. The one you have to look to in this endeavor is yourself only. Trust in yourself, and the rest is easy."

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A/N: I hope everyone liked this part. I always thought of Gakupo as the kind of person Kaito would look to for a mentor. He seems like the kind that could easily be Kaito's friend and have a lot of wisdom to impart, even if his wisdom doesn't always help him. (Especially when it concerns Luka. XD) The next part should be up tomorrow or at the latest Sunday since I am still in the process of writing it as we speak. For those who are wondering, this will probably last about 4 chapters or thereabouts. Read and review as always and until next time! : D


	3. Part Three

**Part Three**

He decided. He would go to her, as Kamui suggested. It was hard finding a time he could go to Obihiro but, as Kamui said, the other Vocaloids vowed they would cover for him. It was surprising to him considering how much Meiko and the Kagamine twins always teased him and tortured him to no end. He could always count on the others for a time when he felt at the end of his tether.

He wrote an email to Miku the day before today that he would be coming today by train and he would be there in less than three hours to see her again. Miku replied to his email with the ecstatic energy and happy anticipation of a child seeing their parents return home from a long journey. He was sure she would have been just as ecstatic if he had written a letter or called her. He was too; it was the first time he would be seeing the one person he cared about in a very long time.

It was snowing heavily, the streets and ground in-between the rails covered in a blanket of white, whiter than his bed sheets. He sat alone on a bench, dressed appropriately for the winter in his white coat, brown pants and long blue scarf wrapped around his neck. For once his dress was suited to the season, rather than looking ridiculous almost all the time. He waited patiently for his train to be called while he listened to the sounds of the busy and noisy station. He carried in his pocket a cell phone, with which he could call Miku at a moment's notice if anything that might impede the speediness of his journey to her would occur, such as his train being delayed or a fierce snowstorm. It might very well happen; the snow was falling so heavily. He wondered to himself if Miku had changed any since she left for Obihiro. He could still see her kind gentle face, feel her soft turquoise hair. For an instant, one fleeting moment, he could sense her with him, feeling so warm in the cold winter night. Then, just as quickly as it came, her presence was gone.

His mind seemed to be teasing him so, tricking him into thinking she was there with him when he knew perfectly well that she would be at the station waiting for him. He couldn't contain his anticipation, as inwardly he was jumping for joy. He felt like shouting at the top of his lungs in happiness that what he had wanted to do for so long was now a reality, not caring if he made a spectacle of himself in the process. There had to be a way to occupy himself until the time came to board his train. He looked around and saw myriads of people going to and fro, arriving and departing, heading to a new destination or returning home. He wondered if any of them had loved ones waiting for them, outside of the station, or on the next train, or waiting at the next station along the railway. Did any of them have loved ones that they had not seen in more than eight months? Were any of them as close to each other as he and Miku were? Were they…

Were any of them like he and Miku?

He remembered the first day Miku arrived. She was extremely nervous, shy. Her lips, no, her whole body was trembling in fear that she might not be good enough for the Vocaloid family. Kaito was the first to greet her that day, and welcome her into the home. She lacked some confidence in her singing but when she first sang for everyone, they all applauded her. She became the rising star of the Vocaloids from that day forward. In song after song, she outshined and surprised everyone with her extraordinary singing. The world's eyes turned to her, wondering what she would do next. Many Vocaloids envied her, especially Neru and Haku. Kaito, Meiko, and many of the older Vocaloids slowly became overshadowed by her extraordinary talents. Sometimes Kaito faced accusations from others that his relationship with Miku was a way of selling out, and letting her take the reins, so to speak. He remembered when he turned to Kamui for a word of wisdom when those accusations started to fly, but Kamui told him, in his sagely voice of the mentor,

"_What is more important is if you feel happy with her. If you do, then nothing else should matter."_

He never regretted meeting her, becoming her friend, or being in love with her. He didn't mind or care about the criticism he got from others for being in love with Miku. From the day they met to the day she left, she always had a special place in his heart, and always was in his thoughts. He could not think of anyone he would rather be with. He just loved her enough to want this. He didn't know how else to explain it other than the fact he loved her. It was enough for him, if he could just say it to her like he had meant to for such a long time. He looked at his wristwatch and saw that it was 15 past five o'clock. His train was supposed to leave in fifteen minutes. Hopefully the snow would not cause a delay.

Kaito stood up and walked over to the platform to await the arrival of his train. He reasoned that if all the trains left their destinations on time he would get to Obihiro in less than three hours. That is, assuming the weather would be kind to him. Weather knows no master, however. He soon spotted a train on the platform and saw that it was of the Sapporo-Kushiro line, which was the line that he needed to go to Obihiro. He just hoped nothing would impede the journey. He looked at the number on one of the cars and saw it was the one he needed. There was nothing more he needed to know. He quickly boarded the train without any second thoughts and took a seat next to the window.

There was nothing particularly interesting to look at, other than the skyline of Sapporo in the distance, the bright yellow and white lights of buildings illuminating the wintry sky. The city looked to be made of jewels as the lights performed a waltz in his eyes. Even in the fading evening light the city did not fail to look beautiful. Beauty…what was it?

How can one describe it? Do things like beauty even exist without the presence of outside perception? What one saw as beautiful and attractive another could easily see as ugly and repulsive. How could one ever hope to describe what constitutes that characteristic that would awaken within one a sense of meaning and satisfaction? No, not just satisfaction. Beauty was far more than that. So much more. If only there existed a poet with all the intelligence of a scholar and the eloquence of a master scribe, who could sing to the world all that beauty was. One could only hope to make sense of this world and find beauty in it. At the thought of finding beauty in this world his thoughts drifted over to Miku, like a ship mooring into a dock. Miku seemed to possess all that was beauty.

Charm. Wit. Grace. Talent, enormous talent. Tenderness. Geniality.

His list of words he could use to describe her could run on and on into the night and on to the end of time. If he could take all the paper in the world and begin writing what he felt when he thought of her, he still would not be finished, even after having used all the paper. To recite to anyone what he thought of when he thought of Miku would take many years. He thought of so many things when he thought of Miku that he just could not even begin to recount them all.

He continued to stare out the window, viewing the great city that brightly lit up the evening sky, until he heard the announcement of departure over the PA.

"_CAUTION: PLEASE STAY CLEAR OF THE CLOSING DOORS."_

There then followed a chime which preceded the closing of the heavy wrought-iron doors, silencing the noise and chatter of many a passerby on the station platform. Kaito then noticed the landscape outside his window begin to move, sliding to the left as if it was a painting in a vast moving gallery. He realized the train was beginning its pull out of the station, and starting its journey towards Obihiro. Slowly at first, like a child reluctantly shaking off the veil of sleep to awake to a new day, but gradually picking up speed the way a bird would start to run down a field before flying. It wasn't long before the sights of the city soon moved out of his windows and behind him. Soon the station itself was behind them, and the tightly-knit congregation of lights moved farther and farther away, dancing wildly as if it was the only way to say goodbye to Kaito as the train quickly picked up speed and went along its way to the next station on its path.

Kaito knew it would be a very long time before he reached Obihiro so he thought it would be best to get some shut-eye. He had had a long hard week of nonstop recording, and if he was going to meet Miku, he was going to need all the energy he had. He reached into his other coat pocket and retrieved from it a small white IPod, which contained untold hours of music worth listening to. He searched for something relaxing to listen to while his body started to go into hibernate mode.

_Starting standby sequence…_

_Select sleep duration._

_Sleep duration selected: one hour._

He found a good song, something operatic but at the same time soft and soothing. Lacrimosa of Mozart's Requiem. He remembered he did a cover for it one time, shortly before Miku left. Miku said later that it sounded otherworldly when he sang it. Perhaps it was because the lyrics were Latin, or because he loved singing it back then. As he slowly drifted off to sleep as the lyrics resounded with the strength of a thousand voices, he quietly hummed the melody of the song, remembering the profoundly touching lyrics, speaking words he could only begin to wonder the meaning. Perhaps it was an entreating to God, to grant some great plea.

_Standby preparation complete._

_Starting hibernation…_

His eyes slowly closed, his thoughts drifting to Miku and what he thought the look on her face would be when he saw her.

_Lacrimosa dies illa,_

_Qua Resurget_ _ex favilla_

_Judicandus homo reus._

_Lacrimosa dies illa,_

_Qua Resurget_ _ex favilla_

_Judicandus homo reus._

_Huic ergo parce, Deus,_

_Pie Jesu Domine._

_Dona eis requiem,_

_Dona eis, Dona eis, requiem._

_Amen._

**X-X-X-X**

_Hibernation duration expired._

_Restarting system…_

Two ocean blue eyes opened to find themselves still inside the train, one hour having gone by. The eyes looked out the window and saw they were speeding along, passing by snow-covered country side. The lights of passing towns were fewer and fewer, as darkness settled in. The eyes then looked at his wristwatch. Six thirty. Exactly an hour had passed. Kaito sifted out his navy blue hair out of his eyes and looked around in his car. There were a few people scattered in seats next to him and around him. He saw one sitting directly across from him reading a magazine. On the cover of the magazine was the very person he was seeking in this long journey.

A medium sized girl with long sea turquoise hair and matching eyes in twin pigtails wearing a black skirt and detached sleeves and a grey sleeveless shirt with a turquoise necktie was walking on a dark street, alone, her head looking down at her feet, coming off as very disheartened. Underneath her figure read captions in red hiragana:

_THE MELANCHOLY OF MIKU HATSUNE_

Melancholy? She felt the same feeling he had all this time? She had felt the loneliness and sense of emptiness he felt? Perhaps that was why she was so ecstatic to hear him coming. Then again…

He slowly got up out of his seat and walked over to the man reading the magazine in the seat next to him.

He looked to be a student, not more than 21 years. He did not come from Japan, he could discern that instantly. He had a fair complexion, with green eyes and bushy sandy blonde hair. He was wearing an olive drab frock coat with the buttons opened, exposing a white button-down dress shirt with a loose red necktie. Complementing his white dress shirt was a pair of long navy blue wool trousers tucked into white felt boots to add protection against the snow. He continued reading the magazine without a single care in the world, not taking notice of Kaito looming over him as God looms over the world. Kaito cleared his throat to get his attention. At that, the blonde-haired man looked up and saw a blue-haired blue-eyed man wearing a white winter coat with brown trousers and a long blue scarf wrapped around his neck. They stared intently at each other, waiting for one of them to say something to the other first. Kaito was hesitant to take the initiative since he didn't know how foreigners conducted conversation. He didn't have to worry long, as the foreigner spoke.

"Can I help you, sir?" the foreigner said politely.

"Yes, you can," Kaito replied, hesitantly. "I was wondering about that magazine you were reading. The front cover."

"Oh, you mean _The_ _Melancholy of Miku Hatsune_?"

"Yeah, that. I was a bit curious as to what that was about. I'm a Vocaloid follower you see."

"Oh, well so am I," the foreigner said chuckling. "That's the article I'm reading right now."

"Oh, I see. Er, may I sit down?"

"By all means."

Kaito took a seat next to the foreigner and looked in at the article. He saw different pictures of Miku. At work in a studio. Recording into a microphone, the joy and enthusiasm she once had to sing gone from her face, her cheerful smile banished and her turquoise eyes staring blankly into space with no ounce of happiness to be found, only empty painful despair. Walking along a rainy street carrying an umbrella. Sitting alone in a restaurant, eating…of all things…rice. Not a leek in sight. Kaito knew as well as anyone if Miku Hatsune was seen without a leek that meant something was wrong. His contemplations of the photographs were interrupted by the words of the foreigner.

"I'm Allen Foster, by the way," the foreigner said, offering his hand. "What's your name?"

Kaito was hesitant to tell him his real name, for fear of blowing his cover on this trip to Obihiro. This was intended to be a private matter between him and Miku, and the last thing he wanted was the paparazzi hounding him this whole trip. He would have to cover up his identity with some other name. In a few seconds, he tried to think of a possible name he could use as a cover. Nothing too fancy, since this person was a foreigner and probably didn't have much acquaintance with Japanese names to begin with.

_Searching name database for possible aliases…_

_Appropriate alias found._

_Applying…_

"K-Katuo Shiohara."

He cursed at himself inwardly. It wasn't the best name since it was really just a slight alteration of his real name, but if Allen believed it, then it was good enough.

"Pleased to meet you, Katuo," Allen said shaking his hand firmly. Kaito inwardly rejoiced that he kept his cover. The name wasn't the best, but it worked.

"Likewise. I take it you're not from Japan?" Allen admitted to the allegation by shaking his head.

"No, I've been studying abroad for about a month now in Sapporo. I'm from San Francisco State University."

"You're studying Japanese language?" Allen nodded in reply.

"I've been studying it now for 2 years. I could choose any place I wanted to as part of the Cultural Immersion program, and since I study Japanese, I thought coming here was the logical choice. I'm on my way to Shintoku to meet up with a pen-pal there."

Kaito chuckled, happy to find congruence of thought and purpose with at least one other person on this train. He didn't feel so alone for once. This person was following the same quest as he, seeking the same treasure as he. Both had important people they wanted to see desperately. He thought for a moment of Miku and fancied the look on her face waiting for him at the station in Obihiro. She would probably wear a winter jacket over her usual outfit, wearing a turquoise scarf around her slim neck, and perhaps black leggings to cover the bare part of her legs from the cold. Maybe gloves with prints of leeks on them? The image was too cute to describe. He chuckled at the thought and brought himself back down to reality, looking over at the pictures of Miku, who looked like she hardly even had the strength to smile, let alone sing.

"She doesn't look happy at all," Kaito lamented, commenting on the photographs.

"Well things haven't been going all too well for her recently," Allen concurred, explaining further the reason for her melancholy. "Her ratings have dropped over the last eight months and her songs are going down on the charts."

Kaito was shocked to hear this. He never heard from Miku that her career was suffering. She never wrote it in her email to him or spoke to him about it on the phone or anything. Perhaps she didn't want him to be concerned. It only made him worry more for her. Her separation from all of them was making her suffer enough to have her ratings drop? She missed them…and him…enough for her to risk her entire singing career? The thought was too difficult to bear. He had to see her now. If only to encourage her to carry on, he had to see her.

"What's the cause of it?"

"Well I'm reading what it may be right now…" Allen cleared his throat and read from the article:

_In a recent interview with the press, asking how she feels about the drop in her ratings, Miss Hatsune stated this was merely a temporary setback due to a great deal of stress being encountered in her life as of late. "You all don't have to worry about me," she said with her usual cheerful smile that seemed to further propagate a façade she was putting on for the entire world, "I'm fine, really. There is just a lot going on in my life and it's been affecting me." When asked if anything in particular in her life was affecting her adversely, she replied breathing a deep troubled sigh, "It's hard to be a singer, especially when you are in global demand. The strain is immense. You are called on to show your talents every day and you need a lot of moral support from the people around you to keep you going. Not just support from your fans or your bosses, but also from your friends…and your family."_

Family…that was what they were before she left. They were a big happy family that did everything together and enjoyed everything together. Admittedly like any family, everyone had their own faults. Meiko didn't know her limits with sake, the twins drove everyone crazy to no end, Kamui could be narcissistic and a covert pervert, everyone had their faults. But they were all happy because they valued each other. They would not trade their times together for anything in the world, let alone the recognition and critical acclaim they got constantly. And ever since the day when Miku left them all passed, the family had not felt the same. That little Vocaloid with the long turquoise hair in twin pigtails was an essential part of their family. Family meant always sticking together. Without the family around to support her and help her, the strains and pressures never failed to weigh on her, and by doing so, she lost a little of her confidence to continue along the way.

"I have to agree with her," Allen said, his hazel green eyes glinting like newly cleaned glass in the bright morning sun. "It must be hard being so young and garnering so much attention. She's practically Japan's own Hannah Montana; she is so famous here, and around the world. It's quite an accomplishment to be so talented and already have achieved so much success just at 16. The stress that comes with being so famous must weigh on her a lot. I noticed something else."

"What is that?"

"All this has been happening in the last eight months, since she left Sapporo and was transferred to Obihiro. She's on her own in Obihiro, without the rest of the Vocaloids to support her. She doesn't have the moral support of a family that she is talking about in here."

"So if she came back to the Vocaloids in Sapporo, things would be okay again."

"Yeah. Essentially."

Kaito nodded in obvious agreement. He knew as well as anyone that Miku needed the other Vocaloids as much as the other Vocaloids needed her, if not more so. _He_ needed her. He felt the pinch of being a critically acclaimed singer without someone to help him cope with the stresses that came with that. Miku was right, a thousand times right. A person without a family is nothing.

"So what about you?" Allen asked, smiling kindly. "Where are you off to?"

"To Obihiro," Kaito said plainly. "I'm meeting someone I haven't seen for a long time there." Allen laughed, happy to find a common familiarity in seeing another searching for the person cared for most.

"Got someone you care about too?"

"More than just that. I love her."

Allen chuckled at that. He had someone back in his college too, waiting for him to return from his trip of cultural immersion. He could not help but feel however a sense of hesitance from the blue-haired 20 year old sitting next to him in regard to the one he loved.

"Is she pretty?"

"The most beautiful woman on earth."

Allen chuckled again. Every man that ever fell in love used those words to describe the woman he loved most. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder as the old adage went. Kaito immediately lowered his head and looked down at his white shoes, unable to feel anything but shame that he had not been there for Miku this whole time she had felt the pressures and stresses of business, when she lacked the support of the family she so desperately missed.

"But at the same time…I feel like I haven't fulfilled a promise. I feel like I don't deserve her love after leaving her on her own for so long." Allen looked at him with serious piercing green eyes.

"Sounds to me like you two need to get back together and fast. How long has it been since you last saw her?"

"Eight months."

"That's a long time," Allen consented.

He had been away from his home country for over a month and already his girl back home was missing him She would jump ecstatically into his arms the moment he stepped off the plane when he arrived at the airport. She would listen to him hours on end as he would retell his exploits in the Land of the Rising Sun.

"Do you think she would forgive me if she saw me today?" Allen chuckled at that.

"I have no reason to doubt it. I know my girl back home would be ecstatic to see me come home again."

"I guess I just worry that while I was away I broke her heart."

"What makes you think that?" Kaito sighed and explained.

"She has been under a lot of stress lately. Like Miku, she has a very demanding life, and it really weighs on her. She doesn't have any family where she lives, and so it's tough to keep pressing forward without anyone to back you up. That's why I'm going to her."

At that moment, the train's PA system elicited a chime followed by a blaring voice over the PA system.

"_WE ARE NOW APPROACHING THE STATION OF SHINTOKU. ALL PASSENGERS DISEMBARKING HERE PLEASE STAND READY BY THE DOORS."_

Allen arose from his seat slowly, gradually revealing the tall stature of the foreign friend Kaito had made in the past half hour. He straightened his red necktie and closed up his olive frock coat, concealing the white dress shirt he wore underneath, and took on the look of a man from the snow covered east, lost and searching for a greater purpose, searching for a meaning whether it be in the form of a life purpose, a God, or something as simple as love.

"So what about you?" Kaito asked as he got to the doors.

"Me?" Allen asked, slightly confused.

"Yeah, you and your pen pal."

"We'll see what happens. And what about you and your girlfriend?" Kaito chuckled.

"We'll see what happens."

Allen laughed and raised a hand with a forefinger extended, as if to point out an inaccuracy or give a meaningful world of advice to his newest found friend in this part of the Orient.

"Let me just give you some advice. The world has two kinds of people: people you can spend days with, and people you can spend lives with. And it's up to us to find out who are the ones we want to spend our lives with."

Kaito nodded, seeing the truth in his words. Friends come and go. Some lasting for not even five minutes. Loves change and pass like colors of the leaves through the seasons. The people who stay with one are the people one loves most. Miku was that person to Kaito. He'd make that known to her before this was all over. He had to, not just for his own sake but for hers as well. He had to help her get through these hard times by at least telling her that someone did care, and someone was supporting everything she did even from far away. As he thought all this, the doors to the station opened, and Allen said his final farewell to the newest friend he made.

"Good to meet you, Katuo."

"Same to you, Allen."

He walked out the doors into the noisy people-covered station, and he faded away into the crowd, becoming another faceless personage among the faceless masses. Kaito smiled as he saw him walk away and in that moment that they shared the same thoughts. The joy of finding another person who followed the same quest, and were looking for the same treasure. The joy of finding another who looked to find love somewhere in the world. He laughed as he saw Allen's figure walk further and further away until he was out of sight, and the doors closed with a heavy slam followed by an unexpected chime and announcement by the PA.

"_ATTENTION. THIS IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ALL PASSENGERS. DUE TO HEAVY SNOW IN THE OBIHIRO AREA, WE WILL BE RUNNING TEN MINUTES BEHIND SCHEDULE. I REPEAT: DUE TO HEAVY SNOW IN THE OBIHIRO AREA, WE WILL BE RUNNING TEN MINUTES BEHIND SCHEDULE. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE AND APPRECIATE YOUR UNDERSTANDING."_

Snow? Heavy snowfall? That was not good news. Heavy snow always happened, but why did it have to happen today of all days?! Just once, he would like the trains to run with no delays due to snow in the winter. He sighed exasperatedly, looking at his watch. Ten past seven exactly. At the very second the tenth minute began, the train pulled out of the station. On that note, he took out his cell phone from his coat pocket and flipped it open. He thought it would be best to at least send her a text saying that he would be running late.

He turned on the text function and sent a message to Miku's phone.

_Hey, you there?_

A few seconds later, he got a message in his mailbox. He opened it up and saw that it was her replying.

_Yeah, I am. What's up?_

A lot of things, he thought to himself. Especially how I miss you so. He shook his head violently and brought himself back down to reality, texting out his concerns.

_My train will be arriving late. Heavy snow. T_T_

He sent the message, thinking maybe his little emoticon on the end would humor her a bit. Just as quickly as he sent it, he received another message.

_I heard about that over here. Not fun. :(_

He chuckled a bit at the frowning face emoticon. It was so cute, just like her. It seemed fitting that she would send out cute things like that. Even if she was a practical diva like Allen said, even if she had some quirks and shortcomings like any other, she still was cute, at least in his eyes. That was one thing that would never change about her.

_Tell me about it. IDK if there are going to be any more delays. _

Normally, he refused to write his messages in chatspeak like Neru did, but this was a pressing matter and he didn't know if the bad weather could kill the signal reception at any minute. He thought that chatspeak was detrimental, and sometimes he found it could seep into everyday writing and speech. Neru sometimes spoke using chatspeak, a terrible habit from all the texting she did. He wondered to himself: Who did she text to so often anyway? It's not like she has a boyfriend or anything. (Not to say she didn't want one, i.e. Len.) Just as he was musing over Neru, he received another message.

_Hey, don't worry about it. I'll still be here, waiting for you. ;)_

That winking emoticon gave him another chuckle. So, so charming. Just like her. He could almost imagine how her face would look as some of these emoticons. The image was just too mind-numbingly cute to describe. He just pictured her carrying the winking smile. Not just cute…almost sexy. He had to loosen his scarf as he felt his body temperature heat up at the very thought of a sexy inviting winking smile. It was almost too intoxicating to even bear. He would have to wait for that moment when he met up with her. He sent her another text, his thumbs pounding methodically on the keys.

_That's comforting. I can't wait to see you again. :D_

The happy face emoticon evoked another image of Miku, this time laughing heartily with a bright smile, brighter than the summer sun. He really did want to see her. He felt the sudden urge to grow wings and fly through the snow and wind to find her and be with her, even for only a few seconds. The knowledge Miku would be there patiently waiting for him gave him a sense of purpose to continue on this journey. The fact that Miku would be there, the light at the end of the tunnel, reassured him and eased his nervousness as he received a new message.

_Me neither. I got a lot to talk to you about._

Oh, really? He thought to himself. He typed out another message.

_Actually, so do I._

He wanted to open up his heart to her. There were so many things he wanted to say to her. There were so many questions he wanted to ask her. If he could get just one answer from her, it would be enough. Just to know what she thought was enough to satisfy him.

_Oh really?_

He chuckled at the simple message. If it was Neru he was texting to, she would text out "O RLY?" The thought was too funny.

_Yeah. ;)_

A wink of his own. That was sure to lift her spirits up a little higher. It lifted his up too. One of these days he would have to pull off one of those sexy winking smiles on her. God help him if he did it to Meiko, especially when it was on one of her drinking days. He was so glad Miku didn't share her habit. She was just obsessed with leeks, which was a much cuter and definitely a harmless obsession when compared to Meiko's. That then gave him a thought. He formulated it in another text.

_I'll buy some leek-flavored ice cream for you on the way if I can find any. _

She must be laughing now in the station at that. He laughed a little himself at the absurdity of his own message. Leek flavored ice cream was just about as likely to find as Rin without oranges or Len without bananas. The thought nonetheless made him laugh. That kind of ice cream wouldn't sell very well, probably. If he found it, however, he'd buy it in a heartbeat for her. Just then he got another message.

_Please buy it! :D_

He laughed again. That's just like Miku. Mention the word leek and she will get all excited in an instant. He liked that quality about her, even if it was for a strange thing like leeks. He looked at the reception signal on his phone and saw that the signal strength was failing, fast. He probably would not be able to contact her again for a while once the signal went dead. He had to try and end the conversation.

_I will, I promise. If you wait for me that is._

She'd wait for him, he knew that. He just wanted her promise she would stay. It was just too discomforting of a possibility to even entertain of her not being there after traveling all that time to go to her.

_Don't worry about me, Kaito. I'll wait as long as I have to. I promise. :)_

That smiley made him chuckle. Her smile was even cuter than the simple emoticon. It was more beautiful than Mona Lisa's smile. Seeing that one little thing was enough to evoke all the things beauty meant to him. He had her promise. She would wait, even if it was for a long, long time. They both had to see each other, at least this one night if not for another eight months.

_Thanks, Miku. I'll see you at the station._

He sent that message and just as quickly received a reply.

_I'll be waiting. See you then. :)_

He smiled at the message and just as he exited out of the message inbox, the signal went dead and there were no bars next to the satellite image. He would have to wait until he got to Obihiro to talk to her. He didn't mind. Talking to someone face to face was always better than talking to someone through a phone. He couldn't understand why Neru loved to text so much, now that he was thinking about it. It must keep her mind off of things, relieve her of the stresses she faced (i.e. the fact Len would never love her.) He tried to get his mind off of the heavy snow and the delays by engaging in questions that would occupy him and make the time go by faster.

Why did he love Miku? Perhaps it was because she was the closest thing to a normal person in the Vocaloid family. Meiko was almost constantly drunk and a Schadenfreude with Kaito, the twins were crazy, Kamui was at times a covert pervert with Luka, Haku was an unhappy drunk who was always depressed, and Neru was a snob who did nothing but text all day long. Miku was probably the only anchor for the rocky boat that was their family, and Kaito their bumbling captain figure who seldom provided the best example of a role model. Was it because she was sincere? She didn't flaunt her talents or act entitled to better treatment too often. In fact in the beginning she lacked a lot of the confidence she had now. It took the encouragement of Kaito and Meiko to help her push on and become the world's newest diva.

He loved her simply because she was Miku Hatsune. There was nothing about her specifically that drew him to her. The fact that she was who she was, with all her faults, talents and quirks combined, was enough to make him love her. To love someone…for someone. That was the most beautiful form of love, more superior and more pure than any other love experienced by anyone else.

At that thought, the train came to a slow unexpected stop. He looked out the window and saw they were in the middle of nowhere, with no lights in the distance, or houses anywhere nearby. Just as Kaito was wondering what was going on, the PA blared an announcement, but in a less loud voice than what he heard in the noisy station.

"_Attention all passengers. Due to the continued heavy snow in the Obihiro area, this train will be running 20 minutes behind schedule. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding."_

He cursed inwardly. Another delay, just what he needed. He hoped to God there wouldn't be any more. Ten minutes was something forgivable, but 20 minutes was starting to push it. Would Miku really keep her promise and stay at the station no matter how long it took him? He would never forgive himself if she left the station and he traveled all the way there for nothing. He started to worry, every nerve in his brain straining under the pressure.

Each second turned into an hour, and every minute a day. He looked anxiously at his watch, seeing that only 2 minutes had passed. His hands gripped at the lining of his brown trousers, turning into tight fists of frustration and repressed sadness. Why did this have to happen to him of all people, especially when someone so important to him was waiting patiently at a station far away?

Maybe he had been branded for bad luck and abuse. Kaito felt the stresses of being a singer as much as any other Vocaloid, but he was picked on a lot by his family. Meiko loved to flaunt around her Schadenfreude side with him, the twins regularly ran him and his ice cream over with their damned road roller, and sometimes whenever he got on Miku's bad side she would hit him over the head with a leek, just to name a few examples. Still, Miku gave him some refuge from all the abuse and teasing and never-ending madness in their family. She was that anchor he could secure the rickety boat with, even if he wasn't the best captain.

He had to calm down. Maybe a little cold water on his face would help him and wake him up. Yes, that was what he needed. Just a little water on the face to bring him back to reality. Kaito rose uneasily out of his seat and walked down the aisle towards the restroom on the right side near the vestibule between his car and the adjoining one. He firmly placed his hand on the knob and pushed the door inward, opening up the small lavatory to him. It felt detached and claustrophobic as he closed the door behind him and locked it. Kaito turned and saw the reflection that was him in the mirror wearily staring back at him.

A man of about 20 stared intently with glassy blue eyes, searching endlessly in the wilderness of one's own sins for a purpose or a guiding hand, a Dante looking for his Virgil to guide him out of the woods and allow him to see the Paradise that was awaiting him. Washed out dark blue hair hung in renegade strands in his face, hanging as lone wolves from the rest of the pack. His cheeks were hollow, scars from the eight months of separation and loneliness. This was his chance to make up for all the eight months they had been apart. He couldn't squander it. He ran his hands under the water and splashed a palm-full of water onto his face, feeling a cold slap like the biting whispers of the wind as winter met its end. He had to get a grip on himself, a grip that he had long lost hold since eight months ago. Kaito sighed and tried talking himself out of his stupor and lack of self-confidence.

Get a hold of yourself. She'll be waiting for you at the station. She said so herself. Just calm down and try not to think about it. Think about something else. Think about how great you will feel when you see her after eight months. Think of how happy she will be to see you after so long. She will love to hear everything you have to tell her. It would not make sense for her to be angry with you after you told her you would be late. She heard the reports too. Don't worry about anything.

He nodded inwardly to himself and walked out of the bathroom just as the train started moving again. Kaito's body rocked around and he almost fell flat on his back from the momentum of the train, but he grabbed hold of two empty chairs with his hands and caught his fall.

That was close, he thought to himself as he picked himself back up and sat in the nearest chair, breaking out his IPod again and tuning to find a good song to pass time. He found a good song, by Miku, one of her bigger hits. _Melt_. It was one of the songs that made her a diva and thrust her onto the world stage, but ironically the song was about an innocent shy girl who was trying desperately to openly say the words of love. The thought of it made her melt, just as it made him melt as he comfortably slid into his seat as he listened to the lyrics flow over him.

_In the morning, I woke up  
First thing that came to my mind  
Was about you  
I gave into have my bang cut  
"What's the news?" was  
What I wanted to hear_

_Pink skirt Flower barrette  
Stick it on and I am going out  
Me today...  
(Should be) Cute!_

_MELT...I might melt  
To say I love you  
Is just impossible...  
But MELT  
I can't even look your eyes  
I'm not going to be in love with love  
Not me  
Because it's you  
....I like_

_Weather forecast lied  
It's raining, downpour  
(Umbrella) kept in my bag  
(Was)A Collapsible umbrella. No welcome...  
I sighed  
At the moment,  
Was it "Oh well ... I'll join you"  
You beside me smiled  
I heard the sound I fall in love_

_MELT I'm about choke(lose) my breath  
My right hand that's touching you  
Shakes... My Heart thumping  
Umbrella...half for you and half for me  
If I reach out my hand You are under my reach  
Oh my gosh...!_

_Reach, my feeling(love)! To you...  
Please stop the time  
I'm about to cry  
But I'm so happy  
I'll die...!_

_MELT (No...) We are reaching the station...  
I can't see you anymore ... It's so close  
And yet so far...So  
MELT I want to walk with you...  
Hand in hand!  
Is it really the time to say goodbye?  
Hold me...right now...  
In your arm!  
....No way (I can do such thing)_

His eyes closed and he saw her again, standing before him with a bright and happy smile, all the stresses of the world purged from her being and from her kind gentle face. He imagined her running into his arms and whispering the words they never said, but felt their whole time knowing each other: "I love you." He could almost sense her pillow soft lips, a kiss sweeter than the finest sugar from the Caribbean, lips smooth and velvety. He opened his eyes again and she was gone. He was happy though, in at least one instant he felt her beside him, and felt her soft lips on his.

That feeling would last a lifetime.

He sighed happily, unmindful of the snow outside, or the possible delays that could come. He didn't mind. Kamui was right. He had to have confidence in himself. That was all he needed. Miku would be waiting for him ever patiently at the station despite whatever more snow troubles he would encounter. He was comfortable with that. The confidence he had that she would be there, that they would be together again, that for once in their busy lives they would be free of the stresses of singing and business, gave him the strength to continue on. It was more than enough for him. The words of Allen Foster, his newfound foreign friend echoed in his head as the train rolled on through the night braving the cold biting wind and the soft white snow towards Obihiro as he laid back in his chair, watching the seconds slowly go by, the gap of time in reaching her closing little by little.

_In this world, there are two kinds of people: the people you spend days with, and the people you spend lives with. And it's up to us to find out who are the ones we want to spend our lives with._

* * *

A/N: Wow, that was a long one, but I had a lot of fun writing this one. I hope you guys enjoyed it a lot too. :) Next chapter, they finally meet! Bet you all can't wait for it, am I right? Well, stay tuned everyone. Some more Kaito/Miku love is coming up soon. See you then!


	4. Part Four

**Part Four**

The station was all but empty, save for the few footsteps or the shuffling of tired feet as they were dragged along the station floor, tired after a night of travels. Many were returning home to a loved one waiting for them patiently. At one little bench near an empty platform, a little girl of 16 years slept peacefully, her head hung down, her long turquoise hair worn in twin pigtails hiding her gentle smooth face. She wore an aquamarine winter jacket with white fur lining around her cuffs and her collar, and tall black thigh boots that left only a small but alluring barrier of skin between her boots and her skirt. On her hands she wore small white childishly girlish gloves with prints of her favorite food, the leek, on them. She had arrived at the station about two hours ago, when she received a call from an old friend she thought had long forgotten about her. They hadn't seen each other in over eight months, and the absence of him and the others she had come to call her family had weighed heavily on her, adversely affecting her life and her career.

She worked in the music industry as a singer for pop music. Her stance as a professional singer, and an internationally recognized one at that, had taken a tremendous hit since she left her friends, her _family_, in Sapporo those eight months ago. Her ratings had dipped, and her songs had lost the high places they once had on the charts. She was stumbling, and she knew it. She felt lost, fearful, and somewhat helpless and lacking in confidence like she did when she first started. She felt herself falling into an abyss of depression and hopelessness, with no safety net under her to catch her from a black fate. The support she once had to keep her going, to push her and challenger her to be the best singer, the newest diva, the next international idol of the world, was gone. With it, the one person she cared for most in her family was cut off from her, a wall of duties and obligations raised between them.

He was a kind and caring young man, if not always very helpful or insightful. He was ditzy and did not evoke the image of a responsible older brother quite often, but she still loved him if only for trying his best to captain their rocky boat, to which she was the only anchor. He was an odd character to be friends with and have an interest in. he was abnormally obsessed with ice cream which he kept many packages of in the freezer, almost filled to bursting. He was never the best person to turn to advice, and he was frightfully easy to tease, especially for the Kagamine twins and Meiko. He acted like an idiot and was most of the time out of the loop, but he was a genuinely good person who didn't seem the mind the abuse the others heaped on him. Some would call the acceptance he displayed with how his voice was overshadowed by her as rolling over, or a form of selling out, but despite whatever accusations were heaped upon him, he never felt any regret or jealousy at seeing her overtake him in popularity in the world of music. He actually congratulated her for it many times, seeing it as an accomplishment for her, having come so far in so short a time.

She dreamt of the many times he and she sang duets together for virtually every song both had ever done. He sang his own cover version of her famous "MELT" song, but it was about ice cream, his hopeless obsession. When they tried to sing a duet, he ended up singing about ice cream instead, much to her amusement and the annoyance of the recorders. They sang a duet of her "Last Night, Good Night", which became an instant hit. Everyone always said about how their voices went well together in a duet. His lower and manly natural voice sounded in sync and juxtaposed with her higher pitch, making them sound nothing short of mind-blowing in recording sessions and to the ears of listeners. There was one particular duet that stood out to her in particular. The song known as "You". It wasn't an original song, but one that had been done by another artist for an anime she could barely remember. They had received a request for a duet cover, like they had received requests for many songs before and after. They accepted it, and went hand in hand to the recording studio. She was particularly nervous for this recording since she had not done a duet in quite a while with him. He reassured her however and told her to just have faith in her abilities and have faith in herself. If she had confidence in herself, she could do anything.

The lesson took.

Their recording sounded nothing short of heavenly, even evoking tears from the recorders and from themselves, not because of how it sounded, but how well it reflected their current status, separated by a wall of obligations and pressures of business that neither could hope to tame. But they were happy together in that one instant. She never forgot that session, and how they were both ready to just embrace each other in an instant as they sang halfway through the song, to just feel and enjoy each other's warmth. It seemed so long ago now when she last saw him. She wanted to remember the lyrics that evoked that sense of familiarity, that sense of love, pure unadulterated and superior love. She sang them so clearly, so lividly, but now the words would not come.

He was there before her, a large stalk of his hair hanging in-between his eyes, his ocean blue eyes shining with sincerity and brighter than the rays of a hundred suns. He was in his usual outfit, heavy white coat, blue scarf, brown pants, always looking ridiculous in any season save for winter. His gentle smile seemed to speak its own words, tell its own tales, impart to her all the emotions swirling up in his heart and overflowing out of his mouth to tell her the words he ought to have said and ask the questions he ought to have asked. His lips part. He speaks.

"_Miku…Miku…wake up."_

Her head stirred, and she opened her sea turquoise eyes slowly, sleepily. The first thing that met her eyes was the ground, and her black thigh boots that almost completely covered her legs from the nipping cold. She lifted her head up a bit, and her field of vision slowly scanned up the tiled floor of the station and came to rest on a pair of feet. White shoes, whiter than the snow that fell upon the Russian steppes, brown slacks, brown of the earth that God had created and had set all life upon.

It couldn't be…no…could it…is it…?

Her turquoise eyes blinked once and traveled up the pant legs, coming to a black belt with a silver buckle, the edges of a white winter coat with blue lining. She knew of only one person who could wear something like that. There was only one person in the whole world who wore a white coat all the time. It had to be him. She was sure of it. She just needed to look one more time into his face, and everything would be fine. Her eyes traveled along the body like a ship of the conquistadors and great explorers traveling along the shores of a great unexploited fertile virgin continent, finding a blue scarf hanging down. More evidence to show just who was standing in front of her. Finally her eyes rested on the face.

She recognized that gentle brotherly and somewhat clueless face anywhere. Faded blue hair hung in a wreck around the man's 20 year old face and a few renegade strands made their way into his deep blue eyes, deeper and bluer than the seven seas, telling more tales of hardship loss and longing than the words of the greatest poets. The eyes called out to her to answer his call. To speak, if just one word, to help him remember the girl who had left everyone behind, not because she had willed it but because of the obligations and pressures of business. Below the eyes and nose, a mouth curled upward in a wide "U" shape, sporting a gentle contented and proud smile, of having come this far and finding at last the long-lost love he was looking for all this time. The smile evoked a sense of accomplishment, as if he had descended into Hades and had bore the harshest trials the rulers of Hell could distribute to him, the demons themselves utterly confounded and amazed at the resilience and sheer determination of the man who stood before her.

He had come back.

He had arrived two hours late.

But he came back. Still despite everything, he came back.

Her eyes watered, like the soaking of a sponge when cleaning a wet table, and she gasped softly, cupping her mouth of her hands, in sheer amazement and utterly thunderstruck by the presence of the man she had longed to see for so long. It was as if the dreams she conjured in her mind as she lay sleeping each night had come to life by no actions of her own, and had brought the one thing she desired more than anything to her, for one last meeting. A tear rolled down her cheek as she reached a shaky uneasy hand outward and grasped at his white greatcoat, desperately clinging to him, afraid that he might be an apparition that was destined to be gone from the world in only a few seconds. She didn't want him to go when he just got here. She wanted him to just stay, if only for a little while. If only for just a few more seconds. Just one more time…just one more chance. Her lips quivered as they sounded out the name of the person whom she had longed to hear from and see these past eight months.

"K…ai…to…"

Her tears became more numerous, falling as many as the drops of rain on a dark leaden day in October onto her white leek-print gloves, leaving small dark circles of moistness, the marks of her sadness, her months of longing and pain in the absence of her family. The man, Kaito, took her hands in one of his, and grasped it, tightly, unwilling to let go of the person he had just traveled all the way from Sapporo to see, and had to suffer many delays that made him more than an hour late. The girl could not hold back any longer her emotions, her love, the passion and weight of the world resting on her shoulders that had come down on her with no one to help her up once she fell. She stood up and leapt forward, embracing him tightly around his midsection, crying soft tears of joy into his coated sternum.

"You came…despite everything…you still came…"

"I will always come for you, Miku," Kaito responded gently, wrapping one arm around her while keeping the other behind his back, holding something he knew would cheer her up immensely. "I brought you something," he said chuckling.

"What is it?"

They broke apart and he revealed what he held behind his back. In his hand he held a small cup of vanilla ice cream mixed with white and green bits of something she could not discern. She looked up at him, her turquoise eyes brimming with curiosity.

"What are all those little green and white things in there?" Kaito chuckled.

"Why don't you take a bite and see for yourself?"

He placed the cup in her hands and saw the small plastic spoon already provided for her. She scooped out a small portion of ice cream, about the size of her thumb, loaded with bits of white and green. She put it in her mouth and was immediately greeted with a familiar taste of something she enjoyed so often. This taste…was it…it couldn't possibly exist! Not as an ice cream flavor! Possible or not, she still tasted it so it had to be real. She jumped higher than she ever did jump, feeling like she could fly off to the snowy night skies and greet the moon, the stars, even find God somewhere beyond the heavens!

"It's leek!" Kaito chuckled knowingly. He knew she would absolutely love it.

"They were selling it on the train so I bought some before I got off. I knew you would like it."

"I didn't think they sold leek ice cream."

"Well the vendor told me it didn't sell too well since onions are usually not something one wants to taste with ice cream, but if I bought some he wouldn't complain."

They both laughed and they walked out of the station together, into the cold dark snowy night. the white frozen flakes that seemed to contain a whole other world under the close examination silently drifted like cherry blossoms falling from the trees. It seemed colder out now than it was when Miku first arrived at the train station at 7. In the hours that had passed, the fading sunlight had all but disappeared from the sky, replaced by the heavenly glow of a bright winter moon and the multitudes of stars which seemed to dance a waltz in the night and in their eyes each time they looked up to the inky black sky. There seemed to be thousands of them, whole cities of them and the sky the dark untamed countryside in between. Kaito brought his attention down to Miku as they walked along a busy street in Obihiro, heading towards the city limits.

She seemed to be enjoying that leek-flavored ice cream. He knew it was a good idea to find it and buy it. He was amazed himself at how such a flavor for ice cream even existed. He didn't complain; he was happy as long as it made Miku happy. And by looking at her he could tell she needed this meeting.

Her face seemed worn and weary, scarred like Jerusalem's walls. The evidence that the stress of business without the family she once had to support her was all too obvious in her countenance. The turquoise eyes that were once filled with happiness and confidence in her better days of singing had become empty, lost and searching for a purpose she had lost to continue on the path of singing. She needed a hand. She needed his hand. Her aquamarine hair seemed out of shape and unattended to in many days, frazzled and sticking together in a bond of sweat and sadness. Her body also seemed to walk weakly along, the weight of the whole world on her shoulders too much for her to carry, ready to collapse. She looked up at Kaito, her eyes entreating to him to help her lift up the tremendous weight on her back. Her spoon was in her mouth, hanging like a cigarette from the mouth of a sleuth in a noir movie. She looked extremely attractive looking to him like that, the trembling eyes, the hanging spoon, and the soft lips resisting the temptation of hardening in the face of all this adversity.

"How are you enjoying the ice cream?" he said with a kind and honest smile.

"It's really good!" she said, feigning happiness with a half-way sincere grin, but it soon subsided, as she looked down on her thigh boots, stepping into the snow with a crunch as they left the city limits, walking along the dark country road to a tall tree with bare branches set against the midnight black sky. "I wish I could say the same for myself…"

Kaito knew what she was talking about, after reading the article of how stressed her life had become after her leaving the Vocaloids in Sapporo to work in Obihiro. She said herself that it was hard to be a singer when she was in global demand, especially without that moral support from family and friends…and loved ones. He slowly curled a coated arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to his side, giving her a shoulder to lean on. Miku blushed a little at his action, but felt warmth in his presence, his arm over her shoulders feeling like a roaring bonfire and helping her to feel calm and at ease with him. If she could turn to anyone in the Vocaloid family, count on anyone in the Vocaloid family, she could go to Kaito.

They left the bright lights of the city, leaving behind the demands of their respective business. For the moment, there was no such thing as Crypton Media. There were no recording studios. There were no fans hounding them or paparazzi stalking them. On this one night, there was nothing but the snow, the late night sky, the stars that danced there, the moon that shone brightly there and illuminated all, and their presence next to each other. The world was only made up of the two of them for that one night.

The snow fell silently and softly like leaves falling from the trees. Miku tossed away her empty ice cream cup and used spoon into a trash can as they passed by the last house and walked into the countryside, leaving all civilization behind them, just walking hand in hand, tight strong links in a chain. Miku then ran ahead, the energy she once was full and brimming with in better days when they were all together suddenly shot back into her. A small happy giggle escaped from her lips as she skipped through the snow, crunching beneath their feet. Kaito smiled, hearing that beautiful sound from her, the sound of laughter. Just that sound alone was enough to evoke the image of beauty that was her. More calming than the happy chirping of birds in the spring. More soothing than the strings of any classical score. More delightful than any of her songs. That one sound from her, that girlish energetic giggle, was the most beautiful sound in the world to him. It was a sound only she could make, and no one else but her. He ran on after her down the snow-covered road towards a large leafless tree, standing tall like a specter looming over a graveyard.

Catch me if you can, she both seemed to say as they laughed and ran on, like innocent children at play. Let's see who makes it to the big tree first, he seemed to challenge her as they headed towards that great tall tree, all the leaves long since gone and buried underneath the blanket of white. The crisp clean and nipping cold air felt invigorating and flushed out their lungs of the air of sadness as there seemed to be nothing else in the world but them. Kaito Shion. Miku Hatsune. The tree. The road. The snow. They were only Kaito and Miku that night. He was not Kaito, the first Vocaloid, the first step in the formation of a worldwide phenomenon. She was not Miku, singer extraordinaire and the world's newest diva. They were not Vocaloids, devices created by Crypton to entertain the world. They were Kaito and Miku. Only Kaito and Miku.

Miku sprinted down the road with all her strength, and ultimate it was she who touched the trunk of the tree first, Kaito still a good distance away and panting hard, his breaths forming small white puffs of smoke in the cold stiffening air. She laughed at the sight of a tuckered out Kaito as he finally reached her and took her gloved hand in his, pressing it tightly as if afraid to lose her in the next instant. Was it true that they were finally together after eight months? Was it fact that he had spent five hours on a train to get to her? Was it possible that she had waited longer than was needed to greet him? Was it all a dream by one of them? If it was a dream, they both wanted to keep sleeping. At Kaito's action, Miku's smile slowly began to fade, like the setting sun from the west. Kaito knew full well that she had a lot she wanted to talk about, a lot of stress to release and many feelings that needed to be made known. She parted her lips and spoke, softly, the visible breaths of air forming her words.

"Kaito…" She said, her voice lacking the strength it once did under brighter skies, "I have so much I want to say to you…"

Kaito gave her hand an affectionate squeeze as a way to say, "I know what is wrong. I'll help you." He pulled her towards him slightly, taking her other hand in his, looking to her with protective kindly blue eyes, eyes that were buckets to be filled with her troubles and problems in life, willing to be filled by the love he felt for her at this very moment.

"You can always talk to me about anything, Miku. You know that," Kaito said looking down at her. "What's troubling you?"

Miku sighed, her view shifting down to the toes of her thigh boots. She could not hide her problems long from him, much less anyone else in the Vocaloid family. She had so much weighing her down, so much to get off her chest and out in the open. She needed a helping hand, and Kaito extended it.

"I have been feeling so lost lately."

"Lost?" Kaito repeated inquisitively.

"It's not easy being a singer…" she said wistfully as they leaned against the large trunk of the tall tree. "The stress is so immense. And I have found it hard to cope without you guys around. I don't feel complete without you all."

"The family isn't quite the same without you, either. We've all felt like someone important was taken away from us." Miku looked to him as if in surprise at this revelation.

"You mean…it was not just you who missed me?"

"Of course Miku! We're all a family! And family means no one is left out."

Miku laughed quietly and took his hand with her gloved one, lightly squeezing it with all her love, fearing he would disappear as soon as he came.

"You always were the one who said that to me."

Kaito turned to her and saw a small wishful smile on her delicate face, calling out to God to return to her the eight months apart so she could relive them with Kaito. If not all the Vocaloids, just Kaito. A small bright tear, shining like a newly formed star in the night sky slid slowly and silently down her cheek and fell down into the snow, turning into a frozen drop of ice. Kaito returned her squeeze of his hand with his own and inched closer to her, feeling her warmth emanating from her like the warmth of a campfire on a cold night like this one.

"I have felt so…overburdened," she continued. "So many people demand so much of me. It's enough to make me just want to scream for it all to stop sometimes…"

As she continued, the tears multiplied that rained down her cheeks. Her voice wavered and lost her once happy joyful tone. She sounded very near her limits of her endurance, at the very end of her rope. Miku turned to him, on the brink of collapsing mentally from the sheer weight of life on her shoulders. Kaito seemed to be her savior descended from heaven to save her from all the horrors of the world that made her want to cringe and hide.

"…I look everywhere for support. I can't find any. If there is just _one_ person out there who cares about what happens to me, I'd be happy with that! I just…I just want to know if there is still—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Kaito took her in his arms and hugged her, holding her protectively, shielding her from all the horrible things in the world. Her protector. Her savior. Her greatest champion. Her knight. He wondered to himself what he could do for her to help lift her up and rise above. He wondered if there was anything he could do to help her carry on and keep moving. He wondered what he could say to her. He didn't have to think too hard to find the right words to say. He leaned in and spoke softly, like the coo of a turtledove, his words barely audible to all but her, inconspicuous as the whispers of the wind but striking true like the tip of a sharp arrow,

"There is still someone in this world that cares…"

Miku, who was taken by surprise by Kaito's move, melted at the utterance of those words. She sighed and warmly accepted his hug and curled her arms around his back, both of them holding each other in a protective embrace. She could always count on him. He had looked out for her ever since she was admitted into the Vocaloids and they had been family. No. More than just family. Something far more. What was the word to describe how they felt? What was that emotion that was so beautiful, so simple as a child's building block, so complex as a machine, so powerful as a jet engine, so transcendental as God himself?

Fear. Sadness. Despair. Pain.

There was one emotion which made one bear all these things. What was that word, that one powerful yet simple word? What was the word which described everything they felt in that instant? The feeling of comfort. The feeling of protection from all things. The feeling of invulnerability to all the world's horrors. The feeling of confidence in the face of extreme adversity. That incredibly strong yet delicate feeling. What was that word that described everything?

It was love. It was only love. That which overcame and transcended all things. That which rose above every emotion in power, in scope, in purpose. Love not for love's sake. Love for the sake of the person next to them. Love because she was Miku Hatsune. Love because he was Kaito Shion. Love because they were who they were, not for the gratification of feeling the emotion itself. That was pure, unadulterated, superior love.

"I will always look out for you, Miku. If ever you need a shoulder to cry on, if ever you need someone to vent your stress to, if ever you need someone to talk to, not now but when you are of clear mind, please, come to me."

Miku had nothing else to say to him. He made her understand everything right then and there underneath the tree and in the snow gently falling on them. Here, before her, was one person in the whole world who still cared about her and what happened to her. Here, was the one person she could always turn to when in need of guidance and consolation. There was still one person in the whole world who she could count on every time she needed a helping hand. For a moment everything else faded away. The tree was not there. The snow was gone. Not even the lights of Obihiro in the distance survived. All else slowly disappeared leaving only the two of them in each other's arms, the only feeling was each beside the other, held in their protective embrace.

"Kaito…" she whispered softly.

"What's wrong, Miku?"

She laughed. It was like him to automatically assume something was wrong, even when he said something that made her heart just melt.

"Nothing is wrong, Kaito. In fact, everything is better than I thought it would be. You coming here made everything more bearable."

"I'm always here for you, Miku, and nothing will ever change that."

Kaito remembered in an instant all the times he shared with her, from the day she first joined the Vocaloids, her continued success in song after song, the happy times they spent together as a family, even the times when he got on everyone's nerves or when the twins drove him and everyone else in the family crazy. He even remembered the sad but smiling face she wore as she bid him goodbye before she boarded the train for Obihiro. Then, for some reason, for some inexplicable reason he could not fathom, he felt the urge to sing. There was that need to express what he felt right then and there. He was never good with speaking words, but if he could sing, if he could just utilize his talent for singing, maybe he could come up with the right words to say to her everything he was thinking right now. He leaned in and whispered gently in her ear.

"Miku, do you remember that one duet song we sung?"

"Which one? We did a lot of duets," Miku said laughing quietly.

"It was a cover for an anime song. It was called 'You.'"

Of course she remembered that song. She remembered it so clearly. She remembered the day they walked together into that recording studio and felt slightly nervous about singing, since they hadn't sung in a duet for a while. But she then remembered how everyone was so moved by how beautiful they sounded together. But she couldn't remember the words. No matter how hard she searched, she could not find the words.

"I remember it, but I have forgotten the words, Kaito."

"I can teach you them again," he said smiling softly and brightly, his blue eyes shining with trust in the bright wintry night.

"How did the song go?"

Kaito chuckled and cleared his throat, singing the first few lines of the song hoping to joggle her memory a little. His voice sang, breaking the quietude of the air with the voice that sounded like a herald from the gates of Paradise.

(A/N: Again, these are the lyrics as translated by ninjawolves on YouTube. This is the link to the song in case anyone is wondering: watch?v=h1z1T4|5R28)

_Where are you right now?_

_What are you doing at this moment?_

_Are you looking up into this wide, blue sky?_

The first lines seemed to jostle her thoughts a bit, as she started searching for the song. She just had to find the words again. She wanted to sing this song with him as much as he wanted to with her.

_Entering song data…_

_Searching database for song…_

Kaito kept singing, hoping that with each word, he could help her find that lost little memory that was so dear to both of them, the memory both wanted to live through one more time, that dream they wanted to see again.

_I lost touch with you,_

_And my heart feels so empty._

_Today I noticed this pain_

_For the first time._

She knew those lyrics. She just had to find them. She wanted to sing with him. She could hear his voice crying out for someone to stand beside him and sing with him, the loneliness of eight months worth of separation wrenching his heart and tearing it in two. She had to find those lyrics, to sing with him just one more time. If she could sing her thoughts out, it would all become clear to both of them and they would not need anything else to tell the other.

_Song found. _

_Uploading lyrics…_

Miku opened her mouth hesitantly, and Kaito paused, looking to her as she nervously sang a few lines of the song, the words that were once astray now at last found, the bright happy and confident smile that she thought was long gone returning.

_The fact you had been_

_Supporting me this much each day_

_Equals the importance of the smiles_

_You've given me along the way._

Kaito rejoiced inwardly at her finding those words long lost again. Their hands joined, their fingers intertwining like the fabric of a crochet, and they sang together that beautiful melancholy glorious heart wrenching serenade that did not fail to bring tears of joy to their eyes.

_The price of_

_Having lost you is far too great_

_And I desper-ate-ly reach out_

_And struggle to grasp it._

_It just slips out_

_Of my grasp, just like the wind._

_There's no-thing left to reach_

_My arms out towards._

Kaito wrapped his arms protectively behind her, knowing that he would not lose her on this night. Tonight was forever. Tonight, they were at last together again. There was no worry of recording, of standing in the charts, of ratings of songs, or anything. There were only them, the tree, the snow, the stars, and the moon. Not even the lights of Obihiro in the distance seemed to be noticeable or even worth noting. There were only them.

They exchanged lyrics, singing to each other, and to themselves, sharing the thoughts they had long wanted to share, speaking the words each longed to hear.

"_My chest is…"_

"_Aching from…"_

"…_the loneliness I suffer now."_

They then switched back to a duet chorus, the words joining in the emotion that united them and yet had divided them for so long.

_And my heart_

_Seems to break_

_Whenever I think of you._

_But it is your smi-le_

_That remains in my memories._

_It is your smile that motivates_

_Me to live._

_Let's travel through time,_

_And return to that point _

_in which we used to live._

_I'm sure that we'll_

_Make it through all right this time._

Kaito and Miku inched their faces closer to each other, the barrier between their lips shrinking fast and rapidly closing. Just one more time. If they could just share it one last time, they wouldn't need anything else. To just feel each other one more time was all they wished for. It wasn't much to ask for, was it? Just one small…last…gift. Their minds, their thoughts, their souls, their very beings synched as their lips joined. The barrier that once separated them at last was opened by the sealing of this small kiss under the wintery moonlight. All time seemed to stop, the world hanging by the kiss of these two Vocaloids, finally together and nothing in the entire world separating them again. Those two who had been separate were now one. In that moment, they felt they understood all the higher contemplative aspects of life. They felt they understood the nature of the soul and the nature of God. The months of separation seemed to be a distant memory and instead they had felt all the experiences of those eight months as if she had never left at all. The fears of what would happen in the days after this one, when they would return to their lives separate but joined by their bond, the fears of the unpredictability of time, all fears of the world dissipated like the smoke blown away by a fan leaving only their soft lips pressed gently on each other.

Their lips parted, but their bodies and souls had not. Each looked into the other's eyes as if glimpsing into the Grand Divine, seeing the light beyond the gates that led to Paradise. The dream was real. It was a dream they couldn't wake up from, nor did they want to wake up from. They sang together, as Kaito sang lyrics that became promises and vows to her. Vows of a love that stretched farther than just time and space. Vows of a love that transcended their very existences in this small tiny world.

_I'll always be_

"_Laughing by your side."_

_Assuring you_

"_Along the way through life's obstacles."_

_When I'm alongside you_

_I can see the light ahead._

"_I know that…"_

"…_everything…"_

…_will be fine in the end._

Kaito and Miku then joined their voices together once more for the final stanza, that reflected not only the feelings of loneliness and isolation they had felt over the last eight months but also the only wish they had for each other. A simple but still powerful wish. A wish that was far greater than any hope for wealth, fame, or knowledge.

_Where are you right now?_

_What are you doing at this moment?_

_Are you looking up into this wide, blue sky?_

_Will you keep on smiling elegantly,_

_just as you always have?_

_Happiness is the only thing_

_I can wish for you._

The serenade ended, and the singing slowly died down, but the memories they had of the day they sang that song together were still as livid as they had happened today. They did not move, did not mind the feeling of snowflakes falling on them softly, nor did they say a word to each other. Everything was understood in that one moment. There was not a single thing that seemed unknown to them. There did not seem to exist a single burning question in their subconscious realm that needed answering. Their minds were joined and their souls one. Miku's lips then slowly quivered and sounded out soft words like the quiet meowing of a kitten.

"You must have missed a lot of work by coming over here just to see me."

"I don't mind it at all. This was more important to me anyway."

"I feel like I pulled you away just on my account," she said with an ounce of guilt in her voice.

"I did it because I had to see you, Miku. If only for just one more time. I had to come because I learned something recently."

"What did you learn?"

He then uttered the words of the friend he had found on the train trip here, the friend who shared in his objective and had someone dear to him. The words he uttered seemed to echo like a thousand choir voices, ringing the truth to the world like the chiming of a church bell.

"I learned there are two kinds of people in this world: people you spend days with, and people you spend lives with. And it's up to each one of us to find the person we want to spend our life with."

He didn't have to say anything more after that. She understood right then and there. Her sea turquoise eyes filled with bright tears that froze and she dove into his embrace, and into his lips, reaffirming the powerful bond between them that had withstood the test of separation and would withstand all time.

"Arigato…Kaito-kun."

"No, thank you. Seeing you again makes all my troubles disappear."

They held each other tightly enough to make their ribs cry in protest, but all the world seemed to stand still leaving only the two of them together, in their joyful and happy reunion they had craved after so long. Their meeting in the snow.

**THE END**

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, guys! I have had a lot of college-related stuff to deal with, and I still have three more midterms left for this week. By this weekend everything will be done. Yayzles. XD I decided the story is best ended here since the emotional message of love overcoming separation has been made, and I think another chapter will just take away from the effectiveness of the message. I hope you enjoyed it, and I may post another Vocaloid story soon!

Oh and as a thank you for ninjawolves' kindness of allowing me to let her use her lyrics, I should inform you all that ninjawolves along with a bunch of other people on YouTube are currently making a VOCALOID FANIME! :D It is slated to come out around Christmastime so go on her channel page and find out more about it! ;)

Read and review as always, and ARIGATO GOZAIMASU! ^_^


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